Strengthen the role of US nonprofit organizations as sites of democratic practice

Leaders of nonprofit service organizations are committed to building the capacity of those they work with to stand on their own. But they know that service provision by itself will not solve the systemic issues many of their clients face. Human services agencies and nonprofits in general know well that the more clients are educated about the choices available to them for support and the more involved they are in the decision-making about that support, the more likely they are to feel that they are capable and empowered to make decisions about their own lives in general.

In due course many of these same agencies are coming to realize that clients educated about issues in their communities and given the opportunity to make decisions about those issues feel empowered to impact those decisions, through initiatives ranging from developing their own community-based programs to lobbying their legislators. With their strong national infrastructure and their reach into low-income and other marginalized communities, community-based nonprofits are identified as places where clients/constituents can be brought into the democratic process to speak up – individually and collectively – for their rights.

Nonprofits have often been seen as a cornerstone of U.S. democracy, especially for those who are ignored or marginalized in our society. Over the years the enormous expansion – in number and size of groups – began to demand that nonprofit leaders focus on their organizations, developing their skills to inspire and manage even in uncertain times. As a result, organization leaders have become experts in areas ranging from communications to finance to human resource management to – most importantly – meeting the growing needs of the people they serve even as the organizations themselves struggle to make ends meet. Rarely do they have the time to actually express their role in the democratic process.

For almost a decade, the Building Movement Project (http://www.BuildingMovement.org) has been working to advance ways nonprofits can significantly contribute to building movement for progressive social change. We propose that the government support and promote the following initiatives to address how nonprofits can be leaders in engaging their clients, board, volunteers and staff members as active community members who can address the systemic issues that affect their lives:

*Develop methods for constituent involvement and leadership in service organizations that transforms the relationship between provider and clients and supports organizational staff on how to move beyond program advisory groups towards constituent civic engagement.

*Convene and provide support for alliances of local nonprofit groups that are being pushed to retreat from advances towards social change to give them new commons-based approaches for working together, prioritizing mutual benefit rather than individual advancement.

*Make available information, models and tools on issues such as resident and women’s leadership, cross-race organizing, and training public and nonprofit mid-level staff on social change/justice issues and how to formulate policy strategies.

*Explain how to engage staff and volunteers on issues related to social change/justice and its relationship to service organizations.

*Offer support for organizations on how they can raise money from individuals including constituents, with special attention to how groups of color can raise funds in communities of color.

*Accelerate discussions and increase the focus on structural solutions that develop multigenerational leadership as older generation leaders in the sector commit to stay in their positions both for financial reasons and to contribute to the current “movement moment”, while younger ones seek more influence and voice.

*Document and promote organizational structures that are nimble and inclusive for nonprofits interested in attracting a multigenerational workforce and building movement for social change.

Why Is This Idea Important?